Apparatus for waving human hair



Jan 4 1927 c. Pos'rERNocK APPARATUS FOR WAVING HUMAN HAIR Filed May 24, 1926 Patented Jan. 4, 1927.

` UNTTED STATES CHARLES POSTERNOCK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR WAVING HUMAN HAIR.

Application filed May 24,

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus or appliance for waving or curling human hair on the head which will most efiiciently secure the desired result of producing waves or curls which will last or endure for the maximum period of time, promote the comfort of both the person whose hair is being operated on, and the convenience and speed of the opertor, thus rendering his work less laborious and tedious, and so contributing in that way to the comfort yof the person whose hair is being operated on, and to greatlysimplify the apparatus, and thus reduce the cost of manufacture thereof, and diminish the liability of derangement, which results in temporary loss of use of the apparatus and expense by way of repair. My invention consists in whatever is described by or is included Within the terms or scope of the appended claims,

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in perspective of enough of the apparatus to illustrate an embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section of the heating apparatus.

By way of premise, it is desirable to say that the embodiment of my apparatus in its preferred form is the usual or ordinary one of a group or collection of electric heaters sufficient in number to treat a whole head of hair at one time, each heater operating, as is usual, upon a single strand of hair, and the collection of heat-ers being suspended from an overhead support or chandelier, or canopy. Each heater, as is common, comprises a tubular structure within which is contained the twisted or curled strand of hair to be treated, moisture being provided for the generation of steam, but experience has shown that it is objectionable to use a closed chamber within the heater for the hair being treated from vwhich escape of steam is prevented, and it will, therefore, be found to be a feature of my invention that the hair containing chamber is not closed, but provision is made at the outer end for the escape of steam, and, at the end next the scalp, a moisture-absorbing protecting device is used to catch steam passing from the end next the scalp, so as to prevent contact of steam with the scalp Vto the discomfort and possible injury of the scalp.

My heater comprises two concentric tubes 192e. seriai No. 111,417.

of 'substantially the same length, an outer one, 10, which constitutes the external casing, and an inner one,f11, which provides the central space or steaming chamber in which the hair wound or twisted upon a central rod, `12, as usual is placed. The tubes, 10, and l1, are of metal, preferably aluminum, and the inner tube, 11, has-applied to its eX terior, the electrical heating devices, as usual, to which current is Supplied by flexible wires, 18, which at one end have a. plug, 14, for detachable connection with a socket, 15, attached to and depending from an overhead canopy, 16, the wires, 13, being, of course, of a length to reach to the head of the subject seated as usual in a chair. Preferably, a pair of heaters is connected to the saine pair of wires, 13, as is common in the art, and I preferably apply to the wires leading to each heater a slack adjuster which may be a rod, 17, of wire having at opposite sides diverging eyes, 1S, through which the wires pass, and which while permitting the wires to ybe drawn through them when adjustment of length is necessary operate in a well known manner to prevent accidental slippage of the wires through them. Thus, the vlength of the wire ruiming to each individual heater may be adjusted to reach the head of the subject without the annoyance or 'inconvenience from anexcess length of wire. To the portion of the wire between the plug, 14, and the branch therefrom to the pair of heaters, I attach one end of a cord, 19, preferably of elastic material, which is attached at the other end to the canopy, 16, so that should any mischance the plug, 14, be disengagedr from its socket while the apparatus is in use, the wires with the plug, 14, will not fall -upon the head of the subject. I prefer the cord or safety suspending device, 19, to be elastic to allow sufficient longitudinal movement thereof under manipulation or handling of the apparatus as to facilitate that work. The safety suspending device, 19, may be permanently attached to the wires, or as I prefer it, may be detachably connected, as by a spring clamp, 20, which will enable slack in the wires to be taken up or let out and thus provide supplemental and additional means for usting the length of the wires from the canopy to the heater.

Returning to the description ofmy heater, it, of course, is understood that the tubular body formed by the concentric tubes,

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10, and 11, must be separated from the curling rod, 12, until the hair has been wrapped or twisted upon said rod, and the customary solution-containing flannel wrapped around the hair, and then the heater is placed endwise over the rod, and hair, and solution containing strips wrapped thereon, and the part-s locked together in this assembly for the period required for the heating operation. At the bottom of the rod or the part next the scalp, a device is used to engage the strand of hair as close to the scalp as possi ble (sometimes a string is used to tie the strand to the rod), and when this device is of metal, it is important to prevent direct contact thereof with ythe scalp to avoid injury or discomfort from heat, and it is also necessary to protect the scalp from escaping steam, this being usually done by a disc of felt. I employ a disc-form hair-engaging device composed of an assembly of discs with radial slots, the discs being capable of turning motion relative to one another to close upon the strand of hair passed through the slots, this disc device being attached to the lower end of the curling rod, and I employ a disc of felt to lie between the hair-engaging device and the scalp, and I join both the hair engaging device and the felt to intercept and absorb escaping steam, so that together they constitute one unit for handling. Thus, l simplify and facilitate the preliminary operation of placing the felt disc against the scalp and engaging the hair, so that the operation having been performed up to that point, it is necessary merely to attach the curling rod. The hair-engaging device, preferably consists of two metal discs, 21, with an interposed liber disc, 22, these three discs being mounted upon a central stud, 23, which is secured to the lower metal disc, and which above the upper disc has a threaded shank, 24, to which the lower end of the curling rod, 12, may be screwed. The stud, 23, has a shoulder above the upper disc which is engaged by the lower end of the rod, 12, when screwed home for the purpose of preventing contact of the rod with the upper disc, and thus avoid any clamping action of the rod upon the upper' disc, and hence upon the hair. Thus, no unusual pressure is exerted upon the hair or the hairengaging devices, but the disc or discs of the latter are free to rotate, except for the normal frictional contact between them. |The two metal and the interposed fiber discs are held together by the stud, 23, and they and the felt disc, 25, are joined by means of several spurs or prongs, 26, projecting from the top disc at the edge thereof down into the felt disc, and being clenched thereon. If desired, the spurs or prongs may be projected 1from the lowermost metal disc, and in that case, the interposed fiber disc between the two metal discs will prevent transmission of heat from the upper disc to the lower disc when the heater is in position, and is being used.

The inner and outer tubes, 10, and 1l, are secured together at the bottom by an interposed ring, 27, and this ring and the adjacent ends of the tubes rest in contact with the upper metal disc when the heater is in operative position, and the locking together of the heater and the curling rod, and thus the entire assembly is effected by the very simple device of a radial projection or projections, 28, at the upper end of the rod, which when the heater is slipped over the rod pass, respectively, through radial slots, 29, in the top of the outer tube, 10, and by a partial rotation of the heater with the lugs, 28, above such top, the lugs and radial slots are turned out of alignment and the lugs engage a solid portion of the outer tube top. Unlocking is secured by a reverse operation. It will be seen that the act of turning the locking lugs out of alignment with the slots in the top, leaves the slots open, and thus provides that open and closed condition of the heater which is necessary to allow the escape of steam at the top, and thus diminishes the likelihood of excessive discharge of the steam at the bottom and next the scalp of the individual. Preferably the upper end of the rod, 12, is enlarged to form a head, 30, for convenient manipulation.

l prefer to make the external tube, 10, of the heater with a polygonal exterior in stead of a cylindrical exterior, and preferably of hexagonal form in cross section, except at the extreme ends. This polygonal form with resulting flat sides, not only is attractive in appearance, but is easier handled, and the fiat sides enable closer assemblage or call for less room or space which under certain Yconditions may be an advantage, compared with cylindrical exteriors.

Of course, instead of a rubber suspending cord or safety device, 19, a slender coil spring could be used, or a combination of an elastic cord, and a short coill spring could be used.

lhat l claim is:

1. A hair curling appliance comprisingl a chambered heater, a curling rod andan assembly as a unit of hair-engaging means, and a member absorbent of moisture interposed between the hair-engaging means and the scalp, said hair-engaging means comprising a metal disc having prong means penetrating and clenched upon said moisture al sorbing member.

2. A hair curling appliance comprising `hair-engaging means composed of a plurality of disc-like members, a central stud connecting said members and projecting beyond them and threaded on the projecting portion, a curling rod having a screw connection with such threaded portion of the stud,

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a. felt member interposed between the haireng'egmg means an the scalp, and a permenent connection between the hair-engaging v members and said felt member.

3. A hair curling' appliance comprising a Curling rod, a tubular heater through which such rod passes, a bearing for one end of the heater connected with said rod, and

means detachably to connect the heater and rod comprising a coeetng lug and slot arrangement on rod and heater, the slot being in the end Vof the heater, and serving as a steam escape.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afi-1X my signature.

CHARLES POSTERNOCK, 

